J. Hall Homes remains at the forefront of environmentally friendly custom home construction in the Fredericksburg, Va., region.

By Jim Harris, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media

J. Hall Homes combines quality, design and environmentally friendly materials and methods in all of its projects. “We believe in reducing the carbon footprint on the Earth, reducing the energy needed to run a house, and in our responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment in a home,” Founder and President Jeff Hall says. “We want to do the right thing.”

Onshore Construction & Development takes on the challenge of constructing a one-of-a-kind estate home in Jupiter, Fla.

By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media

Onshore Construction & Development has built a strong reputation over the past 25 years for owner satisfaction. “When they are done and the owners take over and move in, many builders wash their hands and move on,” COO Evan Anderson says. “We don’t ever move on and are always there whenever an owner needs us. They can call the owner and I on our cell phones if they need anything and that’s the culture we’ve had for years.”

Arden Hess has been passionate about construction for as long as he can remember. Hess discovered a love for heavy construction, fine detail and creativity that he was able to combine in 1984 when he founded what is now Hess Construction LLC to build distinctive custom homes. Hess’ passion is evident in every home he builds in the Park City, Utah and surrounding areas.

When JKD Builder constructs a home for a client, it also builds a new friendship. “They are part of our JKD family,” co-owner Sue Durio declares. “That’s fairly unusual in this business.” In fact, JKD Builder is so friendly with its past customers that it often gives tours of its homes to new clients. “They’re a walking reference for us,” Durio says. “I never have to worry about what they would say, because they’re very satisfied.”

GroundStone takes on unique and challenging residential projects in South Florida to fulfill market demand and

improve the communities where it builds.

By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media

GroundStone’s vision is to reinvent infill and boutique neighborhoods, enrich the lives of the community and provide places and spaces to “Create. Live. Prosper.” “We stay flexible,” founder and President Matthew Montgomery says. “We don’t have a pre-designed type of product all the time. We look at the marketplace and listen to what the market and community says it needs.”

Some homebuilders aim to build projects as inexpensively as they can, but Insight Homes takes the opposite approach. “When you speak to many homebuilders, their goal is how low can they get their costs to build a house,” President Robert Elliott says. This approach can help them compete, but “our culture’s completely different,” he says, explaining that Insight Homes focuses on how it can build a better home for educated consumers despite the cost. “That’s our tagline: ‘It’s just a better house.’”

G.M.K.J. Enterprises prides itself on its long-term relationships with subcontractors.

By Jim Harris, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media

For G.M.K.J. Enterprises Inc., building high-quality homes for its clients and maintaining long-term relationships with subcontractors are just as important as making a profit. “It’s not all about making money for us,” President and CEO Jonathan Miller says. “We strive to make everyone happy, pay attention to the quality of our jobs and not forget about our customers once a contract is signed.”

When it comes to managing clients, many companies have strict procedures and they will not deviate from those procedures regardless of their clients’ needs. They often have a set process for responding to a request or resolving a complaint. That might lead to a standard set of results, but it can often leave a client feeling empty about the experience.

Because it’s a newer homebuilder, City Homes doesn’t have those restrictions in place. It favors developing authentic rapport with its customers. “Client relationships and taking care of our clients are important to us,” Principal and General Manager Rebecca Remick says. “We want to be flexible and adapt to what our client needs and adjust our process around those needs. “